


The Jawa Jedi Knight and his Mandalorian Sister

by Monroe_Happens



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Legends - All Media Types
Genre: F/M, Family, Family Drama, Gen, friends - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-21
Updated: 2021-02-12
Packaged: 2021-03-01 00:53:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,229
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23096644
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Monroe_Happens/pseuds/Monroe_Happens
Summary: Mirta meets a Jawa. Not just any Jawa, but a Jedi Knight, Jawa. Oh, her ba'buir is not going to even....
Kudos: 1





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Akial is actually a character from a Star Wars RPG campaign called Paarty on! He's a Jawa Jedi Knight that specializes in the force and ways to utilize it, and he is also a diplomat for the council and seeks out peacekeeping solutions.  
> Mirta is also from Legends and is the granddaughter of Boba Fett. She's a bounty hunter, because, Fett Clan  
> Mission Vao is from the KOTOR video game.  
> I'm screwing with timelines, but only because I dislike having to use OCs as main ones . So in this story, Mission. Akial, and Mirta all exist in the same time, which is about 30 years after ROTJ  
> I got this story idea from one of the Star Wars comics where a Jawa adopts itself into a new "clan," after his was killed by the Empire, and also, a Jawa Jedi Knight turned Mando Bounty Hunter is endlessly fascinating to me. Just me? You know how things work, I own my debt, Count Micky owns our childhood/star wars/happiness/'cannon'/and everyone belongs to whomever owns and/or created them!

"Well, that's different."

Mirta slapped the side of her helmet and checked her scans. Yup. Awake. That totally just happened.  
She replays the previous scene in her mind over and over.

  
Two Trandoshans walk into the cantina and stop as soon as they spot the anomaly, the lone Jawa sitting and drinking at the bar. They wasted little time and approached the small creature.

  
"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" One pokes the Jawa's shoulder. The Jawa must grab a hold of the bar's edge in front of him to steady himself. The second Trandoshan slaps his friend playfully in the shoulder.

  
"Hey, what's that word they shout? Oh, I remember. Utinni! Utinni!" He walks behind the Jawa and pushes him forward several times. Both Trandoshans laugh. It's a terrible rough sound, like sand in the ears.

The Jawa moves fast. He slips from the stool. In a quick movement that Mirta cannot quite make out, both thugs are thrown backwards by an unseen force.

  
_Oh, you are kidding me._

  
The Jawa is in a crouched defensive position, its lightsaber engaged, its golden blade glowing and buzzing. Several patrons share their thoughts.

  
"What the hell?"

  
"Way to go little guy!"

"That's a thing?!"

  
(That escalated quickly)

The Jawa Jedi does not respond or react to the comments. He is waiting, watching. The Trandoshans are back on their feet now, fight mode activated. They have pride to collect. They rush forward.

  
"Good, a new color to add to the collection." One sneers. His awful laughter burns Mirta's ears.  
Blasters out and ready, the Jawa stands his ground.

The Jawa is agile, acrobatic, and swift. The Jawa leaps up and swings the blade forward before he lands behind the two. A Trandoshan arm falls to the ground.

The second Trandoshan lets out a horrible piercing war cry. He is thrown backwards by an unseen explosion. The Jawa Jedi is careful, no bystanders are caught in his wake. The Jawa waits a moment before he depowers his saber. He relaxes and turns his back.

The first Trandoshan has another arm left. He raises his blaster . . .

Mirta does not think or blink. She's on her feet. Two shots to the back of the head for good measure. The Jawa turns. He looks at the dead Trandoshan and then to Mirta.

He brings both of his palms together and bows.

"Uh, you're welcome."

Mirta holsters her weapon, she walks toward and grabs the shoulder of the unconscious Trandoshan.  
Mirta is low on credits and needed this job to go well. Both thugs were wanted alive. Well, she can still collect a lower fee, and the Jedi is the one who made her do it anyway.

The Jawa is a Jedi. 

Mirta still cannot get over it. It's almost funny. Mirta finishes binding the unconscious quarry, and laughs. It's ridiculous. What would her grandpapa say? Would he even believe her?

Mirta's mando senses tingled. She reaches for Karra and turns around, ready for action.

The Jawa.

"Hello."

He waves. Mirta fires on instinct. The blaster is ripped from her hands and she feels something powerful and invisible hold her body in place.

"Gar ad be a—"

He bends down, not taking his eyes off her, places the blaster on the ground and stands up straight. With his other hand he motions to his throat and makes a sharp, curt vertical motion. He taps his throat and touches his face and makes gesture.

"You can't talk."

He shakes his head solemnly. His shoulders drop. This fact despairs him.

"Can you sign?"

He nods.

"I know it too."

He looks to her and then to his hand holding her at bay.

"You have my blaster." She reminds him.

He doesn't relax his hold.

"I won't attack you. I promise."

He lowers his hand slowly.

Mirta sits down on the ground and beckons for him to come forward and he does.

(So, what's your story?)

He exhales and bows his head.

* * *

_Everyone is dead. Akial got there too late. The smell is overwhelming. The stench of death is choking. It comes easily through the dark fabric protecting his face. Whomever, whatever did this just left them to rot._

_The bodies. His friends. His clan. They were charred. They were not recognizable as people. Some were still smoking, smoldering._   
_Five minutes._

_He promised her._

_He told her it would be okay. This he would make it okay. He checked everyone. Everyone. Someone had to be alive._   
_In the back. Hope swelled in his heart as he ran to where he saw movement._

_Someone lived! Someone is_

_His heart deflated and he felt sick and cold._

_Rodents. They had wasted no time. The creatures crawled, pushed, gnawed, and tore off bits of flesh. Akial lashes out in horror and disgusts. The creatures scatter._

_**Savage creatures.** _

  
**_This is their nature. They need to survive, to eat too._ **

_Akial looks around him. He is in the land of the dead._

**_This is my fault._ **

_In all his grief he does not hear them come. He does hear their weapon. He sees a flicker of a shadow. He looks up. Everything turns white._

_**(What happened next?)** _

_Akial wakes up. The room is too bright for him to focus, to keep his eyes open._

_"What are we going to do with the Jawa? He could know something. He could talk. People speak Jawa."_

_"Don't worry, I'll take care of that."_

* * *

The Jawa concludes his tale. Mirta gets the sense he does not like repeating or remembering those events. She can't blame him, someone violating your body, removing your ability to speak, to communicate. That's what monsters do and there are far too many of those in this world.

"I'm sorry about your friends." Mirta means it. She knows what it was like to lose and the pain that comes with it.

_(They were my clan. My family.)_

"I understand. I lost both of my parents."

_(You saved my life.)_

"I know, I was there."

_(You are my clan now.)_

The Jawa removes a blade from his belt, slices the palm of his hand and then grabs Mirta's wrist, intending to perform a similar action. Mirta frees herself.

"Hey! What are you doing!?"

_(My blood is your blood is our blood.)_

Mirta hesitates. She looks at the Jawa's blade.

"Ask first."

_(Please?)_

Mirta sighs. She looks at her hand, turns it over and opens and offers it to the Jawa. He wastes no time in grabbing it, brings the blade across her skin. He raises his bleeding hand over hers and drops of blood mix with hers. He then grabs hold of her hand and their fingers interlock. He squeezes and she matches.

"The Mandalorians have an adoption process too. It doesn't really apply here though. Ah, screw it. Ni kar'taylir gar sa Ner vod bal tal. I know you as my brother and blood."

The Jawa moves his hand away slightly and then spits on her palm before squeezing it again.

"I thought I saved my spit and blood for my wedding night."

The Jawa shake s his bobs his head and body and covers his hands over his face to mimic laughter.

_(My name is Akial)_

  
(Hello Akial. It's very, very nice to meet you, brother.)


	2. Chapter Seventeen

Mirta yawns and tries to find a comfortable position on the lumpy cot. Mirta had to spend every damn credit she had to purchase this ship and it was worth it. It was hers. Not shared, not borrowed, but hers. She named it Nyx, it reminded her of an old tale, it spoke to her like a whisper of a long-lost friend.

She closes her eyes and wills for sleep and the darkness that accompanies it to overtake her. Marry the nightshade. She felt wakefulness slip away.

Something shifted the cot. Eyes opened, blade at the ready. Akial curled up next to her. He changed from his Jedi grey robes to a dusty white long night shirt. He kept the black fabric on to conceal his face.

"What are you doing?"

He ignores her, instead, he hugs the lumpy pillow and snuggles

_Maybe they sleep together in groups like pack animals?_

Mirta waits a few moments. The Jawa makes a sound that Mirta supposed could be snoring. Mirta rolls onto her back, the blade still in her hands. Just in case.

_His arms are rather furry._

Mirta looks over out of the corner of her eye. Felling brave, she moves her hand closer, and using the tips of her fingers, she gently taps his furry exposed arm, ever so gently and lightly. She quickly removes her hand.  
Huh.

Dense. Soft, yet coarse.

My new brother is hairy as a Wookie.

Mirta laughs but covers her mouth quickly. She turns her head, Akial is still snoring. Mirta closes her eyes.

_I should adopt a Wookie next._

What follows is a strange dream in which Mirta brings Akial and a Wookie brother back home.

"These are my brothers," she says to Ghes.

"How?" He shakes the Wookie's hand, who raises her husband in the air without effort. Akial mimics physical laughter and jumps up and down in excitement.

"Someone's mother's been busy." Novoc Vevut says. He eyes both the Jawa and Wookie. Mirta lunges at Vevut, but he deflects her attack, and she lands on the ground hard.

The impact wakes Mirta. She sits up. Again. BANG. She and Akial are thrown off the cot. The ship has been hit by something.

"We hit something."

Mirta runs to the cockpit, Akial not far behind.

"Do you see anything?" Mirta engages the scans. There is nothing except the expanse of space and darkness in front of them. Mirta turns to face her adopted brother, waiting for his signage.

_(I'm not picking up anything. Passing debris?) Akial shrugs. He checks the NAV systems once more._

"Yeah, but we would still see—"

CRASH.

BANG.

BOOM.

Both are knocked from their seats.

"What is that?"

She turns to Akial.

_(Faulty computer?)_

"I ran a full diagnostic scan before I left."

Akial jumps to his feet and back to the co-pilot seat.

"See if you can find anything. I'll check the damage."

Mirta heads off and Akial beings his work.

"Aaaki, where aare you? Aaaki," a soft voice giggled, Akial tenses. He pauses.

_That cannot be._

"Aaaki, come find meee," her voice is soft and sweet as honey. It touches him in the soft fabric. His body tingles. Her voice did always do things to him.

"Can you see me?" A whisper, soft, seductive.

Akial closes his eyes"

"Can you feel me?"

_This cannot be. She is not here._

The fur on the back of head emits a sharp static charge. Something is behind him. He dares not look. He keeps his eyes tightly shut.

"I'm right," her breath caresses his ears.

"Here," The voice is loud like an explosion. The ship quakes and the power shuts off before restarting.

"Akial, did you find anything?" Mirta returns to the pilot seat.

_(The ship shut off)_

"I know. Maybe there's a storm or something we're not picking up. We'll pass through it soon. Hopefully."

Akial nods. He taps her arm. (How is the Trandoshan?)

"No idea. I'll go check." Mirta heads off to the cargo hold, Akial hesitates but follows.

"Safety in numbers." Mirta says in a sing-song voice.

The Trandoshan is not where they had left him.

"That's not a good."

Akial taps her arm, (Maybe he's doing it?)

"Good thinking. We'll split up. Non-lethal takedowns, he's worth nothing dead." Akial nods. He does not want to be alone. Mirta remains rooted to the spot as well.

After a moment, Mirta exhales and tugs at her face and runs her fingers through her hair.

"I'll check the sleeper, you go back up and see if we missed something."

Akial nods and follows the path back to the ladder up.

"Akki." His body tingles. He turns ever so slowly. Her face is illuminated slightly in the shadows.

"This way," she sings, her hands urge him to follow. She starts to slowly fade. He follows her ghost into the dark.

* * *

Mirta opens the sleeper. Nope. Nothing. She exhales slowly and sits down on the cot. She closes her eyes and rubs them.

"Is it safe?"

She opens her eyes. No one. She slowly stands.

"Hello? Akial?"

He can't talk.

Panic sets in. If something does happen to her new brother, unless she sees it, she has no way of knowing. He can't cry out for help. She picks up her pace. She ignores the images of his corpse running through her mind like a skipping holo-horror vid.  
It was stupid to split up.

Mirta leaves the sleeper and follows the path back to where she left Akial. She stops when something in the corner of her eye catches her attention.

Mandalorian armor is placed neatly in the center of the room on the floor. Candles are placed in a circle and are lit. Mirta walks closer. She knows the armor. It was lost with the Mando who wore it. She knows that it cannot be here.

"What is this?" She reaches forward. Something behind falls from the shelf, she turns. Nothing, she looks back to the shrine, but all that remains is bare floor. Mirta slaps her face.

"I'm losing it."

"Probably." Says a rough voice.

Before Mirta can react, something grabs her by the mouth and pulls her into the shadows.

* * *

  
Akial stops. He cannot see her anymore. The room is too bright, he must put a hand in front of his eyes to protect them.

"You promised," says a voice to his left.

"You said we'd dance," says a voice to his right. He looks both ways the best he can, but his vison is compromised.

"I waited," its behind him.

"I waited," Right at his ears, he can feel hot breath.

The light goes out.

The scream brings Akial to his senses. He ducks and turns and hops down the ladder. He can't call out to her. He checks those corners. He can't ask for help.

He finds her on the floor, out cold. He checks for injuries, nothing. No blood. He presses her nose closed. She jolts back to life.

"Hey."

He helps Mirta to her feet.

"Something odd is going on. I don't like it."

_(No.)_

"Have you seen anything—oh never mind."

_(Did you find the Trandoshan?)_

The ship returns to normal power.

"Maybe we left—" Soft music plays in the distance.  
Mirta and Akial walk forward as if in a trance. Akial sees her full figure. She dances, twirls, spins. All elegant movement  
Her colors are like paint on water. She stops abruptly, she notices him. He can smell her now. She beckons with her hands, pulling him into her embrace.

_(Mission)_

"Come here," her voice was always his favorite melody; He reaches out and their fingertips touch

Everything shakes, rumbles, quakes, and shatters. Hot. Cold. Electricity runs through his veins. He can see its face. White. Skeletal. The Trandoshan lies on the floor behind it. Akial is frozen. The creature grabs onto him and their faces meet.

Akial can feel something being pulled from him.

_This is it_

He does not resist

Everyone is dead.

His former clan.

His Jedi.

Mission.

Mirta is alive.

Mirta is alive. He's forgotten about that. Mirta is somewhere out there.

_Mirta is your clan. Your sister._

Akial narrows his eyes. He raises his hand and pushes the vile thing back.

* * *

Mirta follows the music. There is a plate on the center of a small metal table. Rations and have been arranged on the plate to form a smile, in front of the plate is a holo-card,

"brikase gota'tuur, Mir'ika." Happy birthday, Mirta.

Mirta stops at the table. Her hands are trembling. She reaches out.

"Do you like it?" The air leaves her lungs. She doesn't dare turn. She covers her mouth with her hand.

"We don't have much, but I think I did alright." Her buir, her papa. His voice. She shakes her head, closes her eyes tightly, and bites her hand to keep herself from screaming.

Arms that cannot be wrap around her.

"Papa."

Tears threaten to break free. Her beloved papa gently caresses her cheek with his thumb.

"What's wrong?"

"I miss you."

She can't keep the flood back. Tears stream down her cheeks. Her eyes and face burn red. It's so very hot here.

"Miss me? I'm not going anywhere."

"I'm sorry."

Her buir chuckles. He wipes the tears from her eyes and kisses the top of her head.

"Sssh. Don't cry, everything's going to be okay, I promise."

"Please." Breathing is becoming increasingly difficult.

"I'm not going anywhere."

The ships normal internal power shuts down. The emergency reserve power activates. The red glow unnerves Mirta. The memory floods her mind and senses. Red lights. Red death. Mirta hates the color red.

"I'll check this out."

"No!" Mirta grabs onto him.

* * *

Akial searches the Trandoshan's corpse for a weapon, he finds a blade. The foul unknown creature jumps onto Akial knocking him down, pinning him to the floor. Akial loses the blade in the scuffle.

He reaches out with the force, but creature thrashes out, breaking Akial concentration. Akial tastes his own blood. The creature leans in close, their faces meet once more, and Akial feels his life force being sucked out of him.

Akial concentrates all he can into pulling the blade back into his hand. He wastes no time and stabs it in the neck. He slides out from under it, as it screams and grabs for the blade.

Akial uses the force to knock over boxes and other items at the creature as he runs down the path to the sleeper. He finds what he needs, his lightsaber. He engages the blade and with a sharp jab backwards, he stabs the creature. He twists his weapon and then puts all his strength behind a vertical cut. The creature is sliced in half.

* * *

Mirta holds her papa's hands.

"Stay here, I'll be back."

Mirta shakes her head. Her buir laughs softly and touches he hair and cups her face with his hands.

"Buir, don't go."

"I'll be back, I promise." He kisses the top of her head before letting go and steps backwards into the shadows.

"I want to go with you."

_This can't be real._

Mirta holds onto his hand and follows him into the dark.

_I don't care. He's here._

"Been putting off getting maintenance work. It shouldn't be anything too serious."

Mirta nods, she smiles sadly. She knows what's to come. She's counting the seconds. She squeezes his hand.  
One.

_We'll die together this time._

Mirta shuts her eyes tight.

Two.

_I'm sorry ba'buir._

She holds her breath.

Three.

_Goodbye_.

Mirta feels herself being pulled, pushed, tugged. She opens her eyes, a white skeletal thing falls at her feet, dead.  
Akial stands behind the creature, his saber engaged.

They look at each other a long time before either communicates.

"Airlock," Mirta whispers.

Two monsters less later, Mirta and Akial return to the cockpit. Neither want to sleep or attempt it.

"What did you see?" She asks quietly.

(The one wanted I to marry. I brought her to meet my original clan. They were slaughtered. I brought her to her death.)

"Oh."

(You?)

"My buir, my papa. He died while taking me somewhere I—he wouldn't have done it if I hadn't forced him. He's dead and I'm still here." Mirta looks at her hands. She looks back at Akial.

(It's not your fault your papa died.)

"You didn't kill your girlfriend."

(Thanks)/"Thanks"

  
They reach out wordlessly for each other's hand.


	3. Welcome To the Family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akial meets his new family of Mandos.

* * *

Akial likes to dance. He used dance at the Academy to relive himself from stress and even formed dance groups. He won a few competitions and if he allows himself free from modesty, he is damn **_groovy_** , thank you kindly.

Akial dances when mediation is not enough to soothe and clear his mind. His favorite band, The Dusty Jawas, some good dance moves, and enough space to **_get down_ ,** make for good mental and emotional therapy.

Mirta watches him in silence. She's never seen a Jawa dance before. He pauses. Mirta looks away. He grooves on over, shaking what his Jawa mama gave him, he grabs at her hands and refuses to take her refusal.

"Hey," Akial ignores her protests and moves her arms and leads her along to perform the broken motivator, a popular Jawa groove motion.

"I don't do this," Mirta felt her cheeks burn from embarrassment. Who else is watching? Akial and Mirta are the only ones on the ship, but she still had this odd fear someone could burst in, "there she is! Look at her! A dancing Mandalorian! Disgrace!"

Akial ignores her stiffness, he twirls her around, they dance in circles. Eventually Mirta allows herself to enjoy this moment.

Mirta feels lighter, a weight has been lifted from her shoulders. Akial lets go of her hands and dances in his own world. Mirta shakes her hips, her head, and gets lost in the odd music she cannot understand yet it doesn't matter because her body seems to.

Her comm beeps. She dances over, forgetting the irrational fear, the weight of the universe and herself, she answers. Akial is spinning on the floor. Mirta keeps shake, shaking those hips, and those shoulders.

"What are you doing?"

Mirta's world comes down. Her shoulders carry invisible tons and she's been caught. She stiffens, her blood runs cold.

_ba'buir._

Mirta turns off the music and sits down at the pilot seat. Akial stops, curious. He watches her from the ground.

"Nothing. What's up? Need something?" Why is she nervous? She feels out of breath and counts to ten to calm herself. Her legs shake and hit against the console.

"No."

He's avoiding eye contact; his concentration is fixated on cleaning his favorite side arm. Typical grumpy Fett. He makes the call and yet he plays the nonchalant, I'm-ever-so-bored-you're-wasting- ** _my_** -time, card.

Mirta's wings have been clipped. She's waiting for his move. Her ba'buir has this way of making her feel so damn stupid and inadequate. She loves him despite himself, and that was its own superpower.

"You look well." It sounded more like an accusation than compliment.

Mirta looked down at herself. Self-conscious mode engaged. She dusted off her shirt and pulled at the hem.

"You look nice as well." Mirta cursed herself inside her mind.

"How's your ship running?"

"Great!"

A pause.

Mirta taps her fingers on the console. The seconds that pass are painful. Why did he call? What's the point of this? He's too practical for nonsense and small talk. He hates both.

" ** _Are_** you well?"

He pauses from polishing and turns to face her, even with his helmet on, Mirta can still feel his eyes bore into her.

"I-I've had better days."

"Something go wrong?"

"Yes, but it's fine. I took care of it."

"Your ship disappeared. You didn't exist. There was... concern."

"What?"

"Can you explain that?"

"No."

"Experience anything strange?"

"Is that a serious question? I'm a space traveling bounty hunter."

"Fair enough."

"ba'buir?"

"Yes?"

Mirta leans forward, "I love you too," she switches off her comm before he can deny or affirm. She prefers not knowing anyway.

Akial takes his seat next to her, taps her.

_(Who was that?)_

_"_ Our grandpapa."

_(What's he like?)_

"Grumpy stone Ewok."

Akial accepts this. He switches the radio back on. Mirta slips off her seat.

"I'm going to need to be alone for a while." She hangs her head as she follows the path to the sleeper. Akial watches her retreating form. He looks at the radio and shrugs it off. He starts his dance once more.

* * *

Mirta curls herself up on the sleeper, she bites her hand and screams She closes her eyes and lets the tears fall. She's not sure how long she's been lying there or how long he stood by her, but she looks up, Akial.

( _I'm not okay either)_

"We could dance again."

 _(Out of moves.)_ He shrugs. Mirta does not believe him but does not press the issue. She sits up.

"There's one thing we could do."

* * *

Mirta's sacred place that only she knows, her little world that only she holds the key to, The Strill Sanctuary. The only one in existence and a place that she found by accident.

"Mirta!" The Keeper strides over and engulfs her into a mighty hug. Mirta forgets herself and allows for such open public affection.

"I'm glad you came; Cake's been missing you."

_(Cake?)_

The Keeper whistles and a very ugly, intimidating six-legged creature with far too much skin, comes running towards them. The Jawa braces for an attack, but instead, Mirta drops to her knees and opens her arms. The Strill wraps its many legs around the humanoid in a mighty hug and licks her face like no tomorrow.

"Oooh, I've missed you too," Mirta manages to say after she gently pushes the creature's head away from its kiss assault.

After several minutes the strill calms down and lays down in front of Mirta. Akial watches in silence.

"You travel with Jawa's now, Gev?" The Keeper pulls a piece of meat from one his many pouches and throws it to the strill to eat.

"You know how Mandos do. He's my brother. This is Akial."

"I bet there's a story."

"Not really."

"Well met, Akial."

Akial bows.

"Eh? What's your game?"

"He's mute."

"Ah."

Cake takes notice of Akial now. Akial stays still. The strill gets up on all six, head low, back hunched, walks forward. Akial holds out a steady hand. The strill sniffs it for a minute. After careful quiet contemplation, Cake comes to a decision. It licks Akial's hand, nuzzles its face into Akial's legs, walks around him and then promptly relives itself.

* * *

Mirta waits outside the door.

"I'm afraid we had to burn his robes, but I did find these in our lost and found." Her friend hands a pile of clothing that included, shorts that would look normal on a child and a shirt that is asking about your amount of male private bits.

"'Got Penis?' Really?" Mirta wants to burn it, but Akial does need something to wear. Her friend shrugs.

"I don't control what's in the bin. You're lucky I found this."

Akial peeks his head out, and Mirta shoves the clothing into him. He closes the doors and it reopens seconds later; the shirt's thrown out. Mirta picks it up and pounds her hand on the closed door.

It opens and Mirta grabs onto her brother.

After a few minutes of silent arguing and wrestling, Akial is clothed. The best part of the ensemble? The large round hat that Cad Bane would be proud of.

"I change my mind. I love this." Mirta says, her affect stoic. Akial disagrees.

_(I can't wear this. It's obscene.)_

"Perhaps the question is meant to be legitimate. The penis is a natural part of many male species. This could be a query on whether one is healthy or an honest question." How Mirta was able to say that straight will always be a wonder to the Jawa.

_(My robes were self-cleaning.)_

"Not enough."

_(We must go to a market then. I can't keep this.)_

"I got a better idea. Let's get back to the ship."

_(Better idea? What does that mean?)_

Mirta ignores him and picks up her pace to the docking bay. Akial follows greatly concerned.

* * *

Mirta had not expected much of a homecoming. She did not expect her grandmama to pounce on her, wrap her arms around her and crush her with the most epic of hugs.

"Thank the gods you're alive," Sintas breathes in her grandbaby. Mirta looks passed her grandmama. Ghes runs into her, joining the hug.

"Oxygen reaching critical mass." She is released. Sintas points the barrel end of her blaster in her face.

"You're getting sloppy, if I were your enemy, you'd be dead." Sintas releases the weapon back to her. She clicks her tongue in disappointment.

"Love you too."

"Who's that?" Sintas nods in the direction of Akial, who is waiting quietly by the door.

"Akial, my brother. I adopted him."

"Ah. I have a brother-in-law." Ghes approves.

"Lose a daughter, gain two grandchildren. I'll take it." Sintas walks over to Akial and assess him. After a moment she hugs him, and he proves he can keep his weapons on his person.

"You're trained well." Sintas is impressed. Akial bows.

"Where is buir?" Mirta looks around and notices the missing family member. Both Ghes and Sintas sigh in exasperation.

"He's checking the perimeter." Sintas rolls her eyes and shakes her head disapprovingly. Ghes covers his face with his hands. It's been a long week.

"He got into a," Ghes pauses, trying to choose his words carefully," into a thing with Goran."

"To put it mildly. They're both children. Idiot children."

"What kind of thing?"

"It's stupid, don't worry about it."

"I need to get armor for Akial." Mirta says slowly. Ghes shrugs.

"This **_thing_ **hasn't included Medrit."

* * *

Mirta was not sure how to take his silence. Medrit is taller than trees and his presence alone is intimidating, now add silence and this almost preparatory moment as he walks around Akial a few times before he stops.

"I've never crafted armor for a Jawa before." His gaze is intense. Akial is nervous. He brings the hat down to cover his eyes.

"Is that going to problem?" Mrita hadn't thought of that, Medrit makes armor for Mandos and Mandos are not limited to one species or race.

"Did I say that?" Medrit asks coldly, Mirta winces and shakes her head.

Mirta bites her tongue. Medrit brings out his holo-measure. He scans Akial several times, using different angles.

"What do you want?" After several minutes Medrit clears them out of his workshop.

"When I'm finished, I'll find you." He closes the door and sets off to work.

* * *

The next morning Mirta's senses are aroused to the pleasure of a fantastic smelling cooked breakfast. Laid out on the dinning table are cooked eggs, steak and juices in jugs ready to be consumed. Ghes arrives on the scene first. Akial and Mirta join him next.

"Who's the chef?" Mirta asks as she fixes herself a plate, her husband shrugs, him mouth full. Sintas sits down and pours juice.

"This looks great. You two didn't have to."

"We didn't."

A pause.

"Novoc?" Sintas asks as she reaches for steak. Ghes swallows slowly. Everyone freezes.

Vevut walks in.

"No."

He looks at the table. Akial points to something, a note. Ghes hands it over it to Vevut. He reads it. He crumples it up and kicks the table, knocking it on its side and spilling the contents onto the floor in a mess of broken glass and breakfast dreams.

"Harr'chak!" He snarls.

"What's your damage?" Sintas kicks at the broken dishes and food.

" ** _He_** was **_here_** ," He waves his arms to the mess," **_he_** did this."

"Goran broke into the house to make us breakfast. What a bastard, kill him." Sintas wants to punch the two of them.

"This is not over." Vevut growls. He storms out, shaking with fury. Ghes smiles at Akial.

"Welcome to the family, brother."


End file.
